Theme: Me - Not me personally but ME musically.
20A. Polite egotist's musical request? (Beatles) : PLEASE, PLEASE ME. Clip(1:59)
36A. Adamant egotist's musical request? (Doris Day) : LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME. Clip(2:16)
47A. Needy egotist's musical request? (Supremes) : COME SEE ABOUT ME. Clip(2:24)
Argyle here. Unusual circumstance today; our constructor Janie Smulyan had her NY Times crossword debut yesterday and now her LAT debut today. Impressive. And so is her puzzle.
Across:
1. Treble symbol : CLEF
5. Knock for a loop : DAZE
9. Red Delicious, e.g. : APPLE
14. Fishing need : LURE
15. [Lightbulb!] : IDEA
16. Bay Area county : MARIN. North of San Francisco.
17. Landed on a perch : ALIT
18. Confidence-inspiring : REASSURING
22. "Just __ naturally" : ACT
23. Dr.'s field : MEDicine.
24. Paranormal : OCCULT
28. Uppercase letters, briefly : CAPS
30. Weep and wail : SOB
33. "__ turn is it?" : WHOSE
34. Paper towel unit : ROLL
35. GI no-show : AWOL
39. Barely made, with "out" : EKED
40. Wild and crazy : ZANY
41. They may be faith-based or quantum : LEAPS
42. Boxing count : TEN
43. Quick on one's feet : SPRY
44. "Kings are __ gods": Shakespeare's "Pericles" : EARTH'S
45. Red, Yellow or Black : SEA
46. "So-o-o-o good!" : "MMM!"
55. Fettuccine Alfredo topping, e.g. : CREAM SAUCE
56. A mere step away : NEAR
57. "The Threepenny Opera" composer Kurt : WEILL
58. Walked heavily : TROD
59. Sandwich seller : DELI
60. Box for Beeb watchers : TELLY. Cuppa, you've got this one.
61. William and Harry, to Charles : SONS. Also seen on the Beeb.
62. Black cat, to some : OMEN
Down:
1. Show appreciation at a show : CLAP
2. Quiet time : LULL
3. New York canal : ERIE. It runs through Utica.
4. Greek salad cheese : FETA
5. Run the show : DIRECT
6. Really good (at) : ADEPT
7. Fervor : ZEAL
8. Leisure : EASE
9. Gets a smile out of : AMUSES
10. Peeled with a knife : PARED
11. Puritanical : PRIM
12. Bit of poetry : LINE
13. Subj. including grammar : ENG.
19. Sales rep's giveaway : SAMPLE
21. Oregon's capital : SALEM
24. Little hooter : OWLET
25. Fail in the clutch : CHOKE
26. Group of witches : COVEN. A shout out!
27. Like many flea market items : USED
28. Groanworthy, as a joke : CORNY
29. Friend in war : ALLY
30. "Don't __ the small stuff!" : SWEAT
31. Punchiness : "OOMPH!"
32. Make holy : BLESS
34. Lion's warning : ROAR
35. Declare with confidence : AVER
37. Convenience for Northeastern toll-paying drivers : EZ PASS. It allows you to drive through the booths without stopping...and provides David Letterman with lots of bits.
38. "Remember the __!" : ALAMO. I forgot and remembered the Maine instead.
43. In good taste : SEEMLY
44. Fixes securely (in) : EMBEDS
45. T-shirt size : SMALL
46. City nicknamed "The Heart of Georgia" : MACON. I remember Macon County Line (1974).
47. Canadian tribe : CREE
48. Eye, to Yvette : OEIL. Finally some French.
49. Packs away dishes? : EATS
50. Dollar rival : EURO
51. Reverse, in word processing : UNDO
52. Rain really hard : TEEM
53. Like 61-Across : MALE
54. "__ Brockovich" : ERIN. The real ERIN pictured with her lawyer.
55. 100 lbs. : CWT. A unit of weight measurement created by U.S. merchants in the late 1800s. A hundred weight(Cwt) is equal to exactly 100 pounds.
Answer grid.
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
Belated Happy Birthday to our honeybee Melissa & sailor Gunghy.
47. Canadian tribe : CREE
48. Eye, to Yvette : OEIL. Finally some French.
49. Packs away dishes? : EATS
50. Dollar rival : EURO
51. Reverse, in word processing : UNDO
52. Rain really hard : TEEM
53. Like 61-Across : MALE
54. "__ Brockovich" : ERIN. The real ERIN pictured with her lawyer.
55. 100 lbs. : CWT. A unit of weight measurement created by U.S. merchants in the late 1800s. A hundred weight(Cwt) is equal to exactly 100 pounds.
Answer grid.
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
51 comments:
Happy Monday Argyle, and welcome to our world Janie. A romp with lots of music, a little French (One eye =OEIL, more than one =YEUX; and we complain about English) some modern fill (E Z Pass; we have also Sun Pass) a new use of the word TEEM, which only means overflowing to me and little hooters: OWLET because A Cups did not work. It is REASSURING to see all the new constructors being published; have a great week all.
teem(2) "to flow copiously," c.1300, from O.N. toema "to empty," from tomr "empty," cognate with O.E. tom "empty." The original notion is of "to empty a vessel," thus "to pour out."
Noun - 'teemer
Ever get caught in a 'teemer?
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. This was a bit of a challenge for me this Monday morning. DAZE really Threw Me for Loop.
Maine was the first thing I thought of, but since I already had the _L__O, I knew to remember the ALAMO.
My favorite clues were They May Be Faith-Based or Quantum = LEAPS.
Red, Yellow, or Black = SEA. I have yet to visit the Yellow Sea.
Today is the first day of school in my area. When does school start where you live?
QOD: He who opens a school door, closes a prison. ~ Victor Hugo
Morning, all!
It would have been a speed run today if it weren't for all those dang little bumps and potholes in the road...
I had FAZE instead of DAZE, POUR instead of TEEM and AVIS instead of EURO (I was thinking rental cars). And then there was OEILL crossing WEILL which tripped me up due to being unsure of the spelling.
None of these spots killed me -- as I said, they merely slowed me down a bit. Not a bad thing for a puzzle, actually. Speed runs may be fun to brag about, but aren't usually very interesting...
Oh -- and elementary school starts on August 30 in our town. Man, I that that was early, Hahtool!
Good day folks,
Agree, it was no speed run, but a decent challenge. My biggest hang-up was the punchiness/oomph connection. My interpretation of punchiness (is it a word?) is a state of being run down or dizzy and oomph doesn't complement it at all. Punch would have been a better clue. Didn't know Kurt Weill & couldn't remember oeil. The i crossing was a wag, but looked like it belonged.
Nothing else stood out today.
No school kids in our household, but I'm pretty sure the school year starts the week before Labor Day.
Good Morning CC, Argyle and all,
Really was surprised by this accomplished new constructor as well as some of the misdirection on a Monday. As Barry said ‘bumpy, not smooth’, which made it pleasurable. Yes, Hondo, I agree wholeheartedly on OOMPH; ‘punch’ would be the best clue, but it might be too much of a misdirection for a Monday-hMMM, punchiness, yum.
Thanks, Janie and come back anytime.
Argyle, as always, you come through. TEEM was definitely a big question for me. Thanks for all your work; it's very REASSURING.
Fun picture, Melissa. Thanks, CC.
Hahtool, today's the day here as well.
Have a nice day everyone.
I guess that'new' and 'accomplished' might just be too much of an accomplishment; but my heart was in the right place.
Good morning all!
No school for kids in WI until after Labor Day, but teachers will be back the week before.
No real glitches or look ups for me today, though I did have FAZE before DAZE. Didn't know Beeb, but TELLY worked when TV SET didn't.
Kurt WEILL worked with Bert Brecht on the Threepenny Opera, which was the origin of the song Jack the Knife (Mackie der Messer).
Good Morning Argyle, C.C. et al,
Thanks for your write-up, Argyle - I almost didn't think about a theme, as this was a super-smooth solve. I knew all the songs, so that was a big help.
Interesting that Janie has two debut puzzles in the same week! It does show that even though she is "new" to us, she is already quite "accomplished" as a constructor. So Creature, I think your assessment was spot-on!
Good morning all and thanks for 'splainin' it all, Argyle.
OOMPH, OEIL and TEEM needed lots of perp help and, like Hondo, wagged the I at the OEIL/WEILL crossing. I'm guessing 'Beeb' is Britspeak for BBC. If that isn't it, at least it was a good enough guess to point me toward TELLY.
I'm thinking I'll get some really strange looks when I try my new found knowledge by asking the bartender to TEEM me a tall one. We had a real TEEMer here this morning with lots of lightning and thunder to accompany.
First day of school today in some areas around here. I'll have to remember to watch out for those &%&^#%%T%&^ 20mph zones every couple of blocks.
Belated B'day wishes to MB and Gunghy. Let the celebrations continue.
You need only google Janie's name to find she is no stranger to crosswords, although these are her first publications.
Good morning all, and a very happy birthday Melissa,
No time for puzzling, lots happening. Perfect weather here at Tahoe.Beautiful old cars everywhere.Little ones going home today. Adults only rest of week.
School starts August 16 in our area. Yikes
Good morning Argyle and all.
The top ⅔ came fairly easily but I was stymied in the SW for awhile. Although I was sure of CREE, and OEIL, I had to guess at WEILL, and that Beeb had something to do with television. SEEMLY wasn't obvious at first either. But finally CREAM SAUCE was sussed out and it all came home. EZ PASS was a gimme; we have one on each of our cars. A great convenience and time saver.
Belated Happy Birthday greetings to Melissa Bee and Gunghy.
Have a great day.
Interesting Monday puzzle requiring a little more thought than usual. More fun!!
Grumpy, you would indeed be looked at strangely for saying, "TEEM me a tall one." TEEM is intransitive and cannot take a direct object.
HEARTRX, Did your tomatoes ripen? When we left for vacation ours were all green. On returning home one week later, we had 75 red ones. Feast or famine. I fried red tomatoes the first day back.
I got an IPOD it has built in WIFI. I found a free song on itunes that I like if you have itunes look for Shine Down by Ximena Sariñana you might like it also.
Coven of witches I like this show Charmed (L-R) Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano, Rose McGowan. The show ran from 1998-2006. But it is in syndication on TNT.
Charmed
Fun Facts By Dave Letterman
Due to a clerical error, until 1951, Virginia's state motto was "Virginia is for losers."
After accidentally washing his wardrobe in hot water, Johnny Cash was briefly known as "The Man in Gray."
Zipped right through this puzzle. Good "waker upper" for a Monday morning. My son starts school August 23, so it should come as no surprise when I say that I saw "beeb" and I immediately thought Justin Bieber.
Hi All! A very nice Monday offering with one pesky cell – the I in the WEILL/OEIL crossing but I picked the right tile out of the bag and scored a 100%.
Musings
-Visiting the Kimmel Orchard in Nebraska City has become a great family tradition for us, our daughters and grandkids. What a fun fall, APPLE day!
-Ringo sang Act Naturally for the Beatles. Fun to see that under Please Please Me.
-Royalty is an anachronistic but harmless oddity that Britain can’t afford but truly revere. Breathlessly waiting to hear what they are doing ain’t my bag. Here we have Paris Hilton, et al but they don’t depend on the public treasury to be useless.
-As I have said before, my Greek bride hates FETA cheese.
-Hahtool, editorial yesterday showed the direct relationship between education and income and quality of life and lack of education and prison time.
-School starts this week here.
-RSD – Love your Letterman quotes!
Wonderful Monday romp. Looked up the spelling for eye and also composer Weill.
Monday sets the tone for the week.
Morning all,
I thought I was gonna finish in record time when the top 1/3 was done in a flash, then slowed down a bit in the middle and slower yet in the bottom.
SEEMLY, OEIL, MACON, WEILL were my trouble
Didn't care much for the clue at 53D, I thought it should be either MEN or MALES and neither fits.
I wanted WHITE SAUCE at 55A but CREE corrected that
I finally finished and came here to realize I put
COME SEE A POOR ME it seemed to fit the clue perfectly
Oh well there's always tomorrow ,
August 23 here, not sure about my 4 year old pre school tho.
Happy Monday all
Good Morning All, I'm always impressed by people who can do things I can't...nice work Janie Smulyan. Same goes for you, Argyle.
I liked the theme songs. We all like to think, "It's all about me!". (I'm not the Mother Theresa type.) Other 15 or less "ME" songs, "Take A Chance on ME" by ABBA and "Come Go With ME" by the Del Vikings.
I liked 9A)APPLE teamed (not TEEMed) with 10D)PARED.
I'm sure she had other things in mind with COVEN, but it did make me think of the California CW women.
My only Meh was 46A)MMM. Those multiple-same-letter fill can just keep on going. If there were four spaces to fill, it could be MMMM, or "So-o-o-o-o-o good" might be MMMMM.
Anon@9:40 LOL, my 12 year old grand daughter and all her friends are in love with The Beeb.
Good day, Argyle, C.C. and all Monday puzzlers.
Nice, Janie! Thank you.
Although a speed run this TEEMed with lively fill: DAZE, ZEAL, SPRY, ZANY, OCCULT crossed by COVEN. Then OEIL on a Monday!
For some reason WEILL seemed familiar so we must have seen it before.
However, am I the only one who did not know Beeb? TELLY simply emerged so i guessed it was Brit.
My granddaughter starts school today and other districts shall next Monday.
I hope your Monday is marvelous, everyone!
Ohh, Justin Bieber! I've just never heard of him referred to as Beeb.
One small nit, 37D, why norheastern convenience? I've seen EZPASS in California and other places as well.
Yellowrocks, I have been checking the 'maters hourly...still no red ones!
Argyle
Thanks for the cue. Yes, BEEB is short for the BBC, as Grumpy1 surmised. AUNTIE is another informal term, which has come up in the past - I think the Ozzies use thet term too (Kazie?).
There has been speculation that Charles is not the father of Prince Harry. I will say no more, except that for the purposes of royal succession, it makes no difference, given that Charles and Di were married at the time.
Husker Gary, the Queen is independently wealthy, pays taxes, and works very hard in her role as Head of State. There are many advantages to having a figurehead Head of State who is not the Head of Government, but we are straying into politics here so had better stop.
One of the best Monday Crossword in a while
NC
According to Wikipedia:
"Older domestic UK audiences often refer to the BBC as "the Beeb", a nickname originally dubbed by Peter Sellers in The Goon Show in the 1950s, when he referred to the "Beeb Beeb Ceeb". It was then borrowed, shortened and popularised by Kenny Everett."
dear argyle and company -- wow! what a warm welcome from a cruciverbal crowd that, i confess, is new to me.
your appreciative comments are truly appreciated. thanks to you (and w/ a tip o' the hat to rich!), i'm enjoyin' my 15 minutes a lot!!
;-)
Lucina, perhaps you are referring to an EZ transit pass. If so, it is a completely separate entity from the NE operation.
Here users receive a transponder usually mounted on the windshield and it is interrogated when entering and leaving a toll system or when crossing a participating bridge. Payment is deducted from an account set up with the EZ Pass entity. I believe it can be used from Maine to Delaware and W. Virginia. They have a web site.
Hello there.
Love Me or Leave Me also the Ruth Etting biop. Loved the movie.
For car people: Leno features the McLaren MP4-12C that he bought and tours the factory.
Off to get a smog check.
Remember: C = tr. Easier to remember?
eddy
NC,
No, I am not familiar with "auntie" for the BBC in Oz.
Yellowrocks,
I like the fact that the beeb, beeb, ceeb originated from the Goon Show and peter Sellers. I was a huge fan!
Good Day, team,
A nice Monday offering; not quite a speed run, but close. Love getting those long theme answers, and they help so much with the rest. Thank you, Janie. As usual, Argyle, a very nice analysis. Good to have you in better health.
Belated greetings for you birthdays, MBee and Gunghy, whereever you might be!
I finally found an 'early' picture of myself and will now try to add it. Hold everything, Annette and Clearayes!
Oh, BTW, what is 'Beebs'?
Janie,
Welcome to the quiet corner, where puzzles are the beginning. It is interesting to note you are one in an ever growing line of blog contributors and creators who are transitioning into constructing.
It is obvious from your efforts, our own C.C. and Marti, et al., Confidential's Puzzle Girl and others that the blogging experience influences the style of creation, and the focus recognizes the voice of the people as well as the in crowd.
You might find our diverse posters and often uninhibited commentary inspirational. Good to have you aboard.
BTW
HBDTY MB and Gunghy, we look forward to seeing you all again.
Many of you have had too much TEEMing rain, but here in California we are waiting, not so patiently, for autumn to come.
Rain In Summer
How beautiful is the rain!
After the dust and heat,
In the broad and fiery street,
In the narrow lane,
How beautiful is the rain!
How it clatters along the roofs,
Like the tramp of hoofs!
How it gushes and struggles out
From the throat of the over-flowing spout!
Across the window pane
It pours and pours;
And swift and side,
With a muddy tide,
Like a river down the gutter roars
The rain, the welcome rain!
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Thanks, Grumpy, for BBC. I deserve a bonk on the noggin with the V8 can for even having to ask!
Well, obviously the picture transfer didn't work, but I must go now, so I'll work on it later!
Spitsboov:
Thank you. I just recall having to select among the traffic lanes in CA,"cash, credit card, EZPass" but did not know the technology of it.
Clear Ayes:
Beautiful poem! I can only say "if only" about our sporadic rains.
Hate stump the chump questions like 10 down 38 down 58 across 14 across. 53 down was dull. Favorites were 4 accross 55 across i love those dishes, made me hungry mmm!
NC, thanks for the gentle posting. I did some research and found out the monarchy costs each Brit about $.70/yr and the royals are actually a source of income with the taxes they pay on their very significant holdings and tourism. Their personal peccadilloes that play out in the world press and anachronistic, extravagant lifestyle is just something the people that love them gladly tolerate. This was a nice learning experience for me.
HOla Everyone,Not quite a speed run like some Monday puzzles. I had put in CLB rather than CWT, for 100 lbs,so came out with Leill and Belly. My head has a bump from the v-8 can because lbs was in the clue!! This was my one problem area. Thanks Argyle for clearing all that up.
A well constructed puzzle, Janie. Thanks for stopping by. I hope to see more of your offerings in the future.
The top was fast, the middle, a bit slower and a full stop was reached at the bottom. I did get it finished, but had to look up a few today.
Good to see you JD from Tahoe, no less. I know that you, Carol and Dick and spouses are enjoying a wonderful time in a most beautiful place.
Happy belated birthday greetings to Melissa Bee and Gungy. I hope you both had B'days to remember.
Hatool, School starts on the 22nd. Long gone are the days when the first day of school was the day after Labor Day. We don't seem to get out any earlier, but there are some more vacations during the year. Winter break being one. It comes in Feb. People were going skiing and taking their kids out of school, so they started earlier, and gave them a "vacation" over the President's holiday week. That way we didn't lose money on all those absences.
Heart RX, We're still looking for those red orbs on our tomato vines. I think I'll go out and spray paint some to make it look lie we have some ripe ones.
Now cucumbers are another story. I've been picking several a day and there are blossoms galore. Pickles here I come.
Chickie, you weren't around on Saturday, but if you go back and read Zcarguy's post at 1:39, you'll know what I mean by the following comment:
You weren't walking around nude in your garden, were you?
Clear Ayes, thanks for the poem. I'm ecstatic to report that we had a nice rain Saturday. Gary had noted a few nice ones where he lives during July, but we went begging less than 100 miles south. The cracks in the ground were getting big enough to fall into (and many of my newly planted seedling trees have died from that). But 1.1 inches of rain can cure a great deal of what ails ya, as well as elevate the spirit. With that I offer Mamunia in celebration.
I'm also happy to report that the tomatoes have begun. We had 2 very nice ones yesterday, will have BLT's tonight and should have a steady stream for the rest of the season.
CA and AVGJOE,
Thanks for evoking such a welcome
little rain. The horses loved it, too.
Great voodoo, guys.
Hi all!
Thanks for puzzle and write-up, Janie and Argyle!
I really was stuck on TEEM. Otherwise, pretty easy puzzle.
Not many people, it seems, contribute to weekend blog. MAC users, I posted some relevant info on Saturday, re Lion and Safari 5.1.
Due to helper putting lots of lemon in my herb tea, my stomach was sick all night. What a drag. Need some more sleep but am waiting for ersatz gardener to arrive. My girlfriend has some ornamental garlic plants for me she wants removed. Anyone else have problems with citrus?
Happy belated birthday to mb and Gungy!
CA: Thanks for great poem!
Cheers!
creature and Avg Joe, Wow! Now, if only I knew how to move the California clouds into position....
I'm an anglophile, love the people (they've been wonderfully kind every time), history, literature, TV and even the prim, goofy, stodgy, wacky and trying hard to catch up, Windsor family. They live their lives on a world stage and manage to survive without going totally psycho. The Royals are responsible for a good portion of England's tourist income. London is a great city anyway, but who doesn't want to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, see the Crown Jewels at The Tower, or take a day trip to Hampton Court or Windsor. And who knows when you might catch a glimpse of a titled someone. I was totally tickled when it happened to me (OK, me AND 100,000 other people who lined the Mall). :o)
EZ PASS was a gimme for this Illinois boy... we have I-PASS here but the signs tell us that EZ-PASS is welcome, too. Anything to quietly separate you from your cash, I guess.
And C.C.-- one of the web comics I follow used the following line today: "My condolences for your loss. It must ache like a thousand rug burns." The artist must have read your comment. :)
Thanks HG I'm glad that others are enjoying a chuckle every day. With so much negativity I try to set aside a few moments for a laugh.
From the west coast! Did not get "EZpass". Stuck with "EXpass" FTC. Oy Vey.
still trying to chnge pic.
Got to tell you, found something factually wrong in your explanation. I used to live in Macon, GA, and you need to know that the City of Macon, the Heart of Georgia, is in Bibb County. There is a Macon County, and Andersonville National Cemetery Park is there. But Macon, GA, in Bibb County, is the Heart of Georgia because it is very close to the geographic center of the state.
Excuse me but the answer to 46-Down. City nicknamed "The Heart of Georgia" : MACON, is correct. You say so yourself. I merely mentioned I saw the movie, "Macon County Line" and didn't claim the city of Macon was in the county of Macon.
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